We all want our children to travel in the safest way possible – yet over the years some readers have found price points of various car seats and strollers shared on Marino Bambinos to be unobtainable. We absolutely understand! That’s one of the many reasons that we were eager to meet with the team at Graco (a brand that we’ve never previously partnered with) to learn all about their top-rated, innovative, safe and affordable gear for tots. We’re excited to giveaway a Graco Breaze Click Connect Stroller as well as share the scoop on the Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 Car Seat – that keep little ones safely riding in the rear-facing position longer.

As most of you know, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that tots travel in the rear-facing position in a vehicle until at least two years of age. And one of the most common reasons for parents turning their little ones from rear to forward facing positions earlier than recommended is due to a perceived lack of leg room. Graco has tackled this safety issue with their innovative Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 Car Seatwith a three-position extension panel that pulls out to provide 5″ (yes 5″!) of extra legroom when rear facing.

With a six-position recline, kids up to 50lbs can be comfortably adjusted to travel in the rear-facing position. That’s not all, the seat functions as three seats in one for rear-facing infants 4-50 lbs., forward facing toddlers 22-65lbs., and big kids 30-100lb. We just transitioned our youngest (six years, 40lbs) into the high-back booster position, and he still has room to grow in this seat. In addition to a ton of convenient features, (fuss free harness storage to tuck buckles away, dual cup-holders, straightforward LATCH system, and more) this car seat, most importantly, has a robust safety profile. And it’s available at a great price point (MSRP $249.99).

When it comes to traveling with our precious little ones, safety comes first. The safest car seats alongside proper installation and usage are of the utmost importance to us. I’ve had my share of frustration installing car seats, and when I heard that Britax invented a solution, I couldn’t wait to learn more. Last summer, I met with team Britax to test out their innovative ClickTight technology in their most popular convertible car seats – The Marathon, Boulevard, and Advocate.

I shared details of the product launch over on Project Nursery – and our four-and-a-half-year-old has been comfortably traveling in the Britax Marathon ClickTight UltimateComfort Series Convertible Car Seat (exclusive to Babies “R” Us). We’ve had big changes over the past month – I now have my own car for the first time in about 15 years! As a two-car, two-kid family, it makes sense to keep one car seat installed in each car, transferring the third seat as needed. Here’s where the Britax ClickTight ease of installation comes in.

Simply press the tab on the front of the seat, turn the knob to open the front compartment, slide the belt through the designated spots, buckle the seat belt and click the seat shut. It’s straightforward and simple – and definitely the easiest to install car seat that we’ve ever owned.

Our little guy is as snug-as-a-traveling-bug and I feel confident installing his car seat. The SafeCell Impact Protection technology keeps him cocooned in safety with an impact stabilizing steel frame, complete side impact protection, and other features far exceeding Federal Safety Requirements. I know that my son is secure – and I hope to never install anything other than a Britax ClickTight again!

Win It: Enter to win a Britax Marathon ClickTight UltimateComfort Series Convertible Car Seat ($339.99 value) via the rafflecopter below. This giveaway is open to US only, and a winner will be displayed on the widget at contest completion. Best of luck!

The cold mid-winter has brought us bouts of cabin fever, and we can’t think of a better time to team up with our friends at LeapFrog to offer an amazing LeapFrog Mega Giveaway! LeapFrog is a valued long term brand partner – we’ve been working with them since 2012 because their products are fantastic, and we can stand behind their educational curriculum and kid-tested fun.

We are excited to have so many LeapFrog goodies to giveaway, with a total value of over $500! We’ve tested these products, and they are among our favorites. Check out our previous reviews of the LeapTV and LeapBands.

One Lucky winner will receive:

One LeapFrog LeapTV

Three LeapFrog LeapTV games

One LeapFrog LeapPad3

Five LeapFrog LeapPad Games

Two LeapFrog LeapBands

Enter to win via the below widget. This giveaway is open to US only, and entry methods will be verified. Good luck friends!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you have Disney Frozen and Disney character super fans in your home like we do? The Disney on Ice magic is coming back to New York, in an exciting, new production – Disney On Ice Presents Princesses & Heroes – presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt. The royal sister duo, Anna and Elsa, will be taking center stage with their buddy Olaf, alongside eight other Disney Princesses (Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White). The magic of Tinker’s Bell’s pixie dust will play a special role through a winter wonderland joining Kristoff and friends. Aladdin and several princes will join in the excitement taking on Maleficent, Ursula and other surprises.

As in true Disney fashion, the Disney on Ice performances are memorizing and are often pretty emotional for the parents (this one included). It’s a true treat to witness this particular kind of excitement as stories unfold through little one’s eyes – while taking in incredible choreography, acrobatics, and artistic skating. Inside the razzle and dazzle of a magnificent arena, with special effects and stunning set designs.

Ticket Prices: Start at just $25
For tickets go to www.ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000.
*Please note that ticket pricing is subject to change based on market demand.

WIN IT: Disney on Ice is offering an exciting giveaway of a family four-pack of tickets for Opening Night at Nassau Coliseum, on Thursday, January, 8th at 7:00 p.m (ticket dates are non-transferable). Winner must provide their name, and tickets will be issued at the box office (with I.D.) the evening of the show. Disney is not a sponsor, endorser or administrator of this giveaway. Enter via the below widget – a winner will be selected next week. Good luck to all!a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Holidays are quickly approaching, and we’ve rounded up some of our favorite gifts! We love giving gifts and spreading the love with great giveaways from some of our favorite brand partners. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for an exciting giveaway from LeapFrog! World Vision: There is nothing quite like gifting meaningful gifts that give back, and we are steadfast supporters of World Vision. Wold Vision has well over 250 life changing gifts to select from, allowing the giver to bring urgent help and lasting hope to a child in need – in the name of a loved one. In addition, World Vision has a lovely selection of handcrafted gifts to give. For gifts with incredible impact, including sponsoring a child in need, look no further than World Vision.

Beautiful and Beloved: This lovely boutique supports global job creation in the fair trade industry through the sale of items created by survivors of slavery. All purchases help to empower survivors of slavery – and make for beautiful gifts that teach true giving.

Little Me: Special Holiday pajamas are a sweet tradition to wake-up in on Christmas day. Give the little ones a new pair of comfy and classic holiday plaid PJ’s from LittleMe. They will make you nostalgic of your own childhood!

Kissy Kissy: We swooned when we learned that the iconic Children’s brand Kissy Kissy extended their incredibly soft jammie line to kids! Your kids will never want to take them off!

SIGG: We continue to purchase SIGG water bottles every year because of their durability, functionality, and safe materials. Ask Santa to help replace the bottles lost in the school-shuffle with a new bottle filled with a tasty beverage on Christmas morning.

Redbubble: We adore the artistic selection created by Redbubble’s independent designers. While the kids are enjoying morning juice, gift the adults a new mug filled with great coffee or spiked eggnog. 🙂

Julie Brown: If you’d like to wow her with that perfect frock. Julie Brown is your girl! We think that the Harmony dress is absolute perfection and if she’s into twinning with her mini mini – Julie Brown offers pint sized mommy-and-me matching collections as well.

Hydropeptide: We’ve been lucky enough to sample several skin care products from the Hydropeptide line for well over a year now and are officially obsessed. You can’t go wrong with the anti wrinkle polish and plump peel or the purifying mask.

PRIV: This incredible beauty and wellness app brings a plethora of services to you (at home, office, etc!) for incredibly affordable prices. They recently hooked me up for the American Music Awards in L.A. – and I am absolutely singing their praises! Look out for my full review soon.

Eddie Bauer: We love gifting warmth and coziness and always happen to find it at Eddie Bauer. We happen to love many of their products for men including their great layering options, accessories, and slippers.

Transformers: You can’t go wrong with a morphing action figure and the new Transformers are better than ever!

Home Grown Books: We believe in the power of books for every Holiday and love the great collections from Brooklyn-based Home Grown Books.

Isabelle Grace Jewelry: Personalized jewelry is an incredibly special gift, and we adore the delicate hand-stamped options from Isabelle Grace Jewelry.

Li’l Woodzeez: Woodland creatures are all the rage. How cute is this Family Treehouse Playset and Owl Family from Target? We love the affordable pricing and creative play options.

Little Live Pets Bird Cage: Our kids have a hankering for pets of their own, and the fun Little Live Pets Bird Cage toy comes with a special bird that responds to your child’s touch! Your kiddo will get a kick out of recoding their own voice and having the bird repeat it back!

Downtown Bookworks: We adore the creative selection of children’s books from NYC based Downtown Bookworks. With interesting book bonuses that include things like a bug in resin – their book collection will certainly keep your gift recipient engaged.

Beados: Kids will love watching Beados magically transform together with water. And the Beados Quick Dry Design Station provides a designated spot to make, spray and dry fun Beados designs! We like the quick dry fan, special bead pod storage, design tray, scoop pen and 500 Beados included in the design station.

Crayola Virtual Design Pro: Quality art supplies are a must for children, and the Crayola Virtual Design Pro set gives kids their own sophisticated set of supplies. The great Virtual Design Pro sets allow kids to decorate their own car or clothing designs and watch them come to life in the included app!

Our Generation: Realistic, large dolls are all the rage right now. The amazing Our Generation collection from Target offers a great variety of dolls and accessories for reasonable and affordable prices.

Makey Makey: Makey Makey is a revolutionary kit that will get the entire family excited about STEM and engineering. It allows you to create objects into a game controller or computer key. We’ve had great fun making play-doh and banana drums. Best of all, the parents will enjoy it as much as the children!

My Monopoly: You can’t go wrong with family board games and My Monopoly morphs the iconic game into a personalized one including the option to personalize player photos!

LeapFrog LeapTV: This educational, active video game has been all the rage in our home, and we think it is the big gift of the season! Check our full review here.

WIN IT: We are so excited to partner with LeapFrog again this Holiday season to giveaway a LeapFrog Leap TV to one lucky person (150 value)! Enter via the rafflecopter below. Please note that this contest is open to US only, and entries are verified. Wishing you a beautiful Holiday!a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’ve been super reluctant to allow a video game system into our home – but the kids often inquire about the video games and character-stories gleaned from friends. Over the summer, I met with LeapFrog and had a hands on go with their new Leap TV. I had fun playing with the transforming controller in hand, and was pleased with the educational fun packed into every game.

The LeapFrog Leap TV, ($149.99) designed for kiddos ages 3 to 8, is an active video gaming system saturated with the sort of educational content that parents expect from LeapFrog. And like all LeapFrog learning devices, school grades can be set to remain educationally appropriate for the selected profile while intuitively leveling up or down as needed.

To say my kids love their LeapTV is an understatement. And there is absolutely no couch-potatoing with mouthes mindlessly hung open – as LeapTV play always looks like this:

The three play mode options keep things interesting, especially the motion sensing camera that allows kids to morph onto the big screen. In this play mode, the children’s bodies become the controller allowing them to become fully immersed in the game as they see themselves jumping and dancing. The controller is perfect for little hands to navigate and operates in two modes that function like a classic control or pointer, for endless educational and play options. The kids love swinging the controller like a bat in the sports game while we appreciate the educational content woven through each game.

I’ve seen my four-year-old correctly identify double digits in LeapFrog Kart Racing and work on reading in Sofia The First. The Spider Man game helps to teach reading and letter identification – while Jake and the Never Land Pirates is packed with Math. The Dance and Learn game is among my favorites to watch as the kids jam out while working on basic math. The kids love playing the sports game with familiar LeapFrog characters and nine active games.

The kiddos jump, dance, karate-chop and so much more, in exciting gaming-play rich in LeapFrog’s comprehensive curriculum. We recommend swinging for that second controller, ($30) so kids can play many games like LeapFrog Kart racing together. If you’re still looking for that big present to wow this Holiday – the Leap TV is it!

Find all of our detailed LeapFrog reviews here. Thank you LeapFrog for partnering with us again this Holiday season. Opinions as always are my own.